Emotions Ball

Emotions Ball: an event that rallies the business community to the cause of mental illness. It’s one of the means used to achieve the Foundation’s objective of raising awareness. It also represents the business community’s acknowledgment of the cause’s importance.

2003: First edition of the Emotions Ball

The first edition of the Emotions Ball took place on October 2, 2003 at the Bell Centre and brought together 800 members of the business community. With Mila Mulroney presiding as the honorary chairperson and Benoît Brière hosting, the evening was punctuated with the short testimonials of people affected by mental illness. There were many who said that these people and their testimonials helped change their view of mental illness.

Deeply touched, they talked to each other about mental illness and found out how closely this phenomenon affects them. Our guests told us they had finally realized the urgency of doing away with taboos about mental illness while listening to the poignant testimonials of a mother and her son, a leader in the financial sector, a father and employees from the public service and manufacturing sectors. Our guests realized that they could have been the ones providing testimonials.

Attendees were also entertained with a superb performance by the artists from the Cirque du Soleil production Dralion. The audience greatly enjoyed performances by Bob Walsh, Isabelle Boulay, Mario Pelchat and Édith Butler. The PSYSHOW dancers also put in an appearance that heated up the dance floor. After an excellent dinner, touching testimonials and a magical show, everyone danced the night away to the music of Paul Chacra.

The artisans of the Emotions Ball. From left to right: Suzanne Dubois, Executive Director of the Mental Illness Foundation, Lyse Senécal, member of the honorary Emotions Ball committee, Dr. Yves Lamontagne, Founding President of the Foundation, Mila Mulroney, honorary chairperson of the Emotions Ball, Jocelyne Monty, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Benoît Brière, master of ceremonies of the Emotions Ball and Danielle Gendron, member of the Ball honorary committee.

Thanks to donors’ generosity, the first edition of the Emotions Ball raised over half a million dollars for the Partners for Life program and garnered positive comments from participants.